Charleston Southern University

What Charleston Southern University does

Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private, nonprofit Christian university founded in 1964 and affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, operating from a 300-acre campus in North Charleston, South Carolina. The university delivers higher education through seven academic colleges — Business, Education, Nursing, Health Sciences, Science and Mathematics, Christian Studies, and Humanities and Social Sciences — offering 60+ undergraduate, 30+ graduate, and 29 fully online degree programs, plus South Carolina's only four-year collegiate aeronautics program. Its platform integrates on-campus residential learning, hybrid formats, and an online division (Charleston Southern Online), with NCAA Division I athletics in the Big South Conference and a four-year co-curricular framework called Passport to Purpose.

CSU is governed by a Board of Trustees elected by the South Carolina Baptist Convention and serves approximately 4,050 students (3,321 undergraduate / 729 graduate), drawing from 45 U.S. states and 60 countries, with an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a student body that is 36.86% people of color. The institution holds SACSCOC regional accreditation and eight specialized programmatic accreditations (ABET, ARC-PA, ACEN, CAATE, CAPTE, CAEP, IACBE, NASM). Recent strategic moves include the 2025 acquisition of Carolina Sky Flight Training School to vertically integrate aeronautics training, a June 2025 dual-enrollment partnership with Charleston County School District, the 2023 introduction of the Buc Promise tuition-coverage program (the first such program by a private South Carolina university), and doctoral-level launches in Education Leadership (2018) and Physical Therapy (2021).

The revenue model rests primarily on tuition and fees across undergraduate, graduate, and online programs, supplemented by South Carolina Baptist Convention financial support, private donations and endowments (including named gifts such as the Nielsen $2M and Mead $1.5M contributions), and auxiliary services (housing, dining, and campus services). Distribution channels include on-campus residential programs, self-serve online and hybrid degree programs distributed nationally, corporate tuition-discount partnerships, and military/veteran recruitment pathways supported by Yellow Ribbon Program and Military Friendly Gold designations and 2025 Purple Heart University recognition. CSU's stated economic impact on South Carolina was approximately $250 million per a 2025 Lilly Consulting Group study.

Name

Charleston Southern University

Legal name

Charleston Southern University

Website

https://charlestonsouthern.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Charleston Southern University is a private, nonprofit Christian university in North Charleston, SC, affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, serving roughly 4,050 undergraduate and graduate students through seven academic colleges plus online and hybrid programs, with NCAA Division I athletics and specialized programmatic accreditations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)

Keywords

• Christian higher education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Online degree programs
• Faith-based education

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate, graduate, and online programs tuition and fees
2. South Carolina Baptist Convention Support: Financial support from the South Carolina Baptist Convention
3. Private Donations and Endowments: Gifts from individuals, foundations, and alumni including significant gifts such as Barbara Mead's $1.5 million endowment and Roger Nielsen's $2 million gift
4. Auxiliary Services: Housing, dining, and campus services revenue

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Charleston Southern University is a private, non-profit Christian liberal arts university that delivers accredited undergraduate, graduate, and online degree programs across seven academic colleges. It serves traditional residential undergraduates, commuter students, online learners, graduate students, and military/veteran populations through on-campus, online, and hybrid learning modalities.

Product overview

Charleston Southern University is a comprehensive Christian university offering a diverse portfolio of educational products and services. The institution operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture with its core degree program portfolio (60+ undergraduate, 30+ graduate, 29 online) delivered through seven academic colleges. Key product lines include the Hans A. Nielsen College of Business (IACBE accredited), College of Education (CAEP accredited), College of Nursing (ACEN accredited), College of Health Sciences (with specialized programs in Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, and Physician Assistant), College of Science and Mathematics (including South Carolina's only four-year Aeronautics program), College of Christian Studies, and College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The university also operates Charleston Southern Online for distance learners and the Passport to Purpose program as a distinctive four-year student development framework. In 2025, CSU acquired Carolina Sky Flight Training School to vertically integrate flight training for its growing aeronautics program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Charleston Southern University Degree Programs Comprehensive portfolio of 60+ undergraduate, 30+ graduate, and 29 online degree programs delivered across seven academic colleges, serving traditional, commuter, online, graduate, and military-affiliated students.
• Hans A. Nielsen College of Business Undergraduate and graduate business degrees in accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, management, marketing, and supply chain management, with IACBE specialized accreditation.
• College of Education

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $250 million economic impact on South Carolina's economy
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Charleston County School District (CCSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2025Dual enrollment partnership announced June 18, 2025 allowing high school students to earn college credits through Charleston County School District programs at CSU.
• Carolina Sky Flight Training SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CSU purchased Carolina Sky Flight Training School in 2025 to provide high-quality flight training for the university's aeronautics program - South Carolina's only four-year collegiate aeronautics program.
• TEACH South Carolina (TeachSC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing free support to prospective teachers including 1-on-1 coaching and scholarship opportunities. Students who sign up for TeachSC and apply to CSU can apply for TeachSC scholarships.
• South Carolina Baptist ConventioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSU is affiliated with and under supervision of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. The Convention elects the Board of Trustees and provides some financial support. Income derives from tuition, endowments, gifts, Convention funds, and friends.
• Clemson University (Palmetto Pitch)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSU students participated in Palmetto Pitch competition at Clemson University for student startups across South Carolina competing for over $15,000 in prizes and mentorship.
• Wingate by WyndhamminorOthersAward-winning hotel located on CSU campus with 97 guest rooms and meeting spaces. Currently serves as overflow student housing with rooms known as Buccaneer Suites.
• National Association of Independent Colleges and UniversitiesminorOthersProfessional membership organization for independent colleges and universities.
• Council for Christian Colleges and UniversitiesminorOthersProfessional membership organization for Christian higher education institutions.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Wofford College: Highly ranked private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, SC competing for similar traditional undergraduates with comparable student-faculty ratios and four-year experience frameworks.
• Furman University: Premier private liberal arts university in Greenville, SC competing for the same in-state residential undergraduates and out-of-state recruits in the Southeast.

Direct peers

• Belmont University: Private Christian university in Nashville, TN with similar size, NCAA Division I athletics, and mix of professional, health science, and liberal arts programs serving the Southeast.
• Campbell University: Private Baptist-affiliated university in Buies Creek, NC with overlapping faith-based positioning, professional and health science programs, and NCAA Division I athletics.
• Anderson University (SC): Private Christian university in Anderson, SC with comparable undergraduate, graduate and online portfolio and similar faith-integration positioning in the same state.
• Samford University: Private Baptist-affiliated university in Birmingham, AL with comparable undergraduate size, graduate and doctoral programs and NCAA Division I athletics; a strong out-of-region behavioral peer.
• Columbia International University: Private Christian university in Columbia, SC affiliated with a similar evangelical tradition; overlapping residential, graduate and online programs targeting faith-minded students in the Carolinas.
• Bob Jones University: Private, religiously affiliated university in Greenville, SC offering undergraduate and graduate programs with on-campus and online modalities; directly comparable in faith-based, residential, small-private model.
• North Greenville University: South Carolina Baptist Convention-affiliated university offering undergraduate and graduate programs with residential and online learning; closest denominational and geographic peer to CSU.

Broad incumbents

• Liberty University: Large, nationally distributed private Christian university with a substantial online division; competes most directly with CSU Online and for working-adult and out-of-state Christian students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/csuniv
• Facebookfacebook.com/charlestonsouthernuniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charlestonsouthern

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Charleston Southern University